Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek have released a new music video for their opera “Proving Up.”

The video features John Moore singing the prologue to the opera and was shot by the creative team late this summer at a historic sod house on location in Nebraska and South Dakota.

“Proving Up” tells the story of a pioneer family’s failed plight to make good on the American Dream during Nebraska’s post-Civil War land rush. The world premiere recording was released this past summer with the original Opera Omaha cast including Michael Slatter, John Moore, Talise Trevigne, Abigail Nims, Cree Carrico, and Andrew Harris on the Pentatone label.

The opera was co-commissioned by the Washington National Opera, Opera Omaha, and Miller Theatre at Columbia University, and had its world premiere at the Kennedy Center during the 2017-18 season. The opera was promptly selected as the “Best New Work of 2018” by the Washington National Review and “Best Classical Music in 2018” by The New York Times.